Obituary of Ralph Edward Groening

Long-time resident of Reston, VA passed away at The Virginian, Fairfax, VA on February 7, 2017. He is predeceased by his wife, Hazel A. Blaine, and son-in-law, Jan S. Sumner. Survived by his daughter, Kathy Sumner of Ormond Beach, FL; his son, Phil Groening (Laura Linn) of Reston, VA; granddaughter, Michaela Hale (Jason); grandson, Marc Sumner (Colleen) and two great-grandchildren, Ethan and Savannah; sister-in-law, Peggy Blaine; and numerous nieces and nephews. A native of St. Charles, IL, Ralph moved to Washington, DC after high school in 1941 to begin work as an assistant messenger for the USDA Extension Service where he met his wife, Hazel, and eventually retired as the USDA-ES Associate Deputy Administrator for Operations in 1975. During this period he also served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean Conflict, and received his B.A. from George Washington University. Visitation at Adams-Green Funeral Home in Herndon, VA on February 18, 2017, from 2pm- 5pm. Future interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please support the Wounded Warrior Project, woundedwarriorproject.org.